What mineral treasures lie in the former SFRY? Slovenians have nothing, and they are richer than all

Photo: Al Jazeera Balkans / printscreen

In almost all areas of the former Yugoslavia, significant deposits of various mineral resources can be found: from ordinary coal to gold.

Once upon a time, in a country that no longer exists - the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, students learned that there are many mineral resources in the areas of the SFRY. So in Srbiјa it was said that there is lithium, but also large deposits of iron ore have been found in Kopaonik, Zlatibor and in Eastern Serbia - writes Telegraf.rs.

As for copper ore, it is found near Bor and Majdanpek. This ore also contains gold, silver, selenium and pyrite. Serbia is one of the largest producers of copper in Europe. When gold is mentioned, it should also be mentioned that a new deposit of gold was discovered in Homolje, in the municipality of Žagubica.

Tin has been discovered on Cer and Bukulja, and significant reserves of clay (used for construction), cement material, quartz, talc, kaolin, feldspar and other minerals have been discovered. Antimony is exploited near Krupnje and Zajecar, tungsten in Eastern Serbia. There are also nickel deposits near Vrnjačka banja and Cer.

We must not forget Golia, which has untapped reserves of tungsten ore whose explorations were started in the 80s, but have not been completed, says geologist Alija Halilović for Sandzak Press.

"On Golia, there is a so-called iron cap that is lying unused. There is iron in the hill of Lisa and Golija, and lead-zinc in Rogozna. On Rogozna, there are over 210 grams of silver per ton of concentrate, which is a very good percentage," claims Halilović and adds that there is also gold on Rogozna.

Kosovo and Metohija are no less rich in ores: the lignite basin of the Obilić-Pristina stretch was one of the largest lignite deposits in SFRY, while significant reserves were also discovered in Metohija.

According to the deposits of lead-zinc ore, Kosovo was in the first place in Yugoslavia, according to the study "Review of the natural resources of the Balkans and their use" published by assistant professor Dr. Goran Barović from Nikšić. In this ore, Barović reveals, there are admixtures of gold, silver, bismuth, germanium, sulfur and pyrite. Significant deposits of nickel, magnesite, antimony and chromium have also been located.

As far as Босна и Херцеговина, even 100 years ago it was considered that mining was the main economic branch in this country. Large reserves of iron ore have been found in the region of Varesh and Ljubovija, and there are also in the region of Vranica. Lead and zinc were found in the area of ​​Srebrenica. There are deposits of bauxite in the vicinity of Mostar, Bosanska Krupa and Jajce. Gypsum is found in the vicinity of Dolnji Vakuf and Volarim. Rock salt is exploited in the vicinity of Tuzla. The copper deposits are located in the vicinity of Jajce, Bugojno and Kreševo.

In the areas of Bakovici, Jajce and Gornji Vakuf, lead, zinc, pyrite and barite, as well as associated precious metals, were found. Deposits of antimony, kaolin, mercury, chrome, magnesite, asbestos and other ores have been found in several localities. Coal (brown and lignite) is mined in five basins: Tuzla basin, central Bosnian, and less important Mostar, Banja Luka and Livanja. Large deposits of coal caused the construction of a dozen thermal power plants.

In Croatia, deposits of bauxite and marl (used in construction) have been discovered in several locations in Dalmatia and Istria, and there is barite in Lika and Gorski Kotor. Croatia has small coal reserves, but oil deposits have been discovered in several locations along the Sava River downstream from Zagreb. Salt is exploited in the salt basins of Pag, Nin and Ston.

This was not the case before: copper was mined in Samobor, which in the (ancient) 16th century had the largest exploitation of copper in Europe. In the same place, siderite and hematite were mined for a short time, and there was also a smelter near the mine. Lead and silver ore were mined in the 18th century at the Zrinski mine in Medvednica, while zinc, iron, lignite and brown coal were mined in the Ivanec area in the XNUMXth century, according to the Croatian Technical Encyclopedia.

When talking about Macedonia, iron ore was discovered near Slepce and Taymishte. Iron ore with nickel admixtures is located near Kavadarci, Prilep and Veles.

In Kavadarci there are nickel ores, antimony is found in several places. Zletovo is the largest mine for lead-zinc ore.

From the mineral wealth in Montenegro are exploited: coal (brown and lignite) in the area of ​​Pljevlja and Beran, bauxite (red-white) in the vicinity of Nikšić. There are lead-zinc ores near Pljevlja and Mojkovac. Near Ulcinj, sea salt is exploited.

In the strategic documents it is written that on the territory of Berane municipality there are deposits of brown coal, brick clay, lead and zinc and technical-building stone. The total reserves of brown coal are said to be estimated at 30 million tons, while the estimated deposits of lead and zinc ore in the Sjekirica mountain area are about 16 million tons.

Slovenia is the only country created from the former Yugoslavia which is the richest, but which has practically no existing, active mines: the abandoned underground mines testify to the extent and importance of mining in the territory of Slovenia, as well as in the wider area of ​​this part of Europe.

Although most of the mines are closed today, part of their wealth, as well as part of their cultural and technical heritage can be seen in tourist mines, museums and various exhibitions, according to the website of the Natural History Museum of Slovenia.

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